The Chicago Bears are reportedly bringing back one of their top special teams contributors.
Here’s word from Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune:
Deal is being finalized for #Bears to bring back safety DeAndre-Houston Carson. He has been one of the team's most consistent special teams performers.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 23, 2020
Biggs tweets the Bears are trying to finalize a contract that would lock in safety DeAndre Houston-Carson for another season with the team. Houston-Carson has been with the team since being selected in the sixth round (185th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.
In addition to being a reserve safety, the 26-year-old has also been a key cog on the Bears’ special teams unit. Last season, Houston-Carson was in on a team-leading 342 special teams snaps. That’s a whopping 82.2 percent of those plays. Meanwhile, he was in on just three of the 1,000+ defensive snaps. So, yeah, Houston-Carson is firmly entrenched as a core special teams member. No wonder Chicago would want him back, even after re-signing Deon Bush (fourth-most special teams snaps in 2019) and bringing in safety Jordan Lucas (who played on 63.3 percent of the Chiefs’ special teams plays in 2019).
The Bears seem to be shifting gears as the second week of free agency is under way. Low-cost moves to retain Houston-Carson and Bush, and sign the likes of Lucas, Barkevious Mingo, and Artie Burns suggest the team probably doesn’t have plans to dabble in what is left of the free agent market. The team has needs at various positions, but the way things are trending, it looks like the front office has turned its focus to shoring up the margins for the time being.